ACCESSORY AND MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE COMMUNICATION USING AN APPLICATION COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL

• US 20100235425A1
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Adler, Mitchell, Bolton, Lawrence, Holden, Paul, Schubert, Emily Clark, Dorogusker, Jesse Lee, Ganatra, Nitin
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide various communication techniques for communication between a mobile computing device and an accessory. An accessory protocol that is generic to the mobile computing device can be used for some communication. An application executing at the mobile computing device can communicate with the accessory using an application communication protocol. In some embodiments, the application communication protocol can be different from the accessory communication protocol. In other embodiments the application protocol may only be recognized by the application and the accessory. In some embodiments, messages conforming to an application protocol can be communicated between the application and the accessory by packaging the messages inside a message conforming to the accessory communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between an accessory device and an application executing on a mobile computing device, the method operating at the accessory device, the method comprising:

communicating information specifying at least one application communication protocol to the mobile device using an accessory communication protocol; and

communicating with an application executing at the mobile device using the accessory communication protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating with an operating system executing at the mobile computing device using the accessory communication protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communicating with an application executing at the mobile computing device comprises tunneling an application communication protocol packet within an accessory communication protocol packet.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving application communication protocol commands from the application executing on the mobile communication device and changing the state of the accessory in response thereto.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending data to the application executing on the mobile computing device in response to a command from the application executing on the mobile computing device, wherein the data is sent using the application communication protocol and the command is received using the accessory communication protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information specifying at least one application communication protocol is provided in a reverse domain name convention.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling functionality of the mobile computing device with the accessory using the accessory communication protocol.

8. An accessory device comprising:

a housing;

a communication interface disposed at least partially within the housing, and configured to exchange commands and data with a mobile computing device, the communication interface having at least one port; and

control logic disposed within the housing and communicatively coupled with the communication interface, the control logic being configured to;

communicate with an operating system executing at the mobile computing device through the communication interface using an accessory communication protocol; and

communicate with an application executing on the mobile computing device through the communication interface using an accessory communication protocol.

9. The accessory device according to claim 8, wherein the control logic is configured to communicate information specifying the application communication protocol using the accessory communication protocol.

10. The accessory device according to claim 8, wherein the control logic is configured to communicate information specifying the application communication protocol using a standard communication protocol other than the accessory communication protocol.

11. The accessory device according to claim 9, wherein the application communication protocol information is communicated to the mobile computing device using a reverse domain name convention.

12. The accessory device according to claim 9, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

13. A method for communicating between an accessory device and an application executing at a mobile computing device, the method operating at the accessory device, the method comprising:

communicating accessory information to the mobile computing device using an accessory communication protocol, wherein the accessory information includes at least one of an application protocol string, an application protocol index corresponding with the application protocol string, preferred application information, or accessory communication protocol information;

receiving at least one of a session identifier, an application protocol identifier, or an open connection command from a mobile computing device; and

thereafter communicating with the application executing at the mobile computing device using an application communication protocol, wherein the application communication protocol is a protocol associated with the application protocol string communicated to the mobile computing device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the preferred application information specifies an application which supports communication using an application communication protocol associated with the application protocol strings communicated to the mobile computing device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the communicating includes controlling the functionality of the mobile computing device with the accessory.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the application communication protocol string is in a reverse domain name convention.

17. An accessory device comprising:

a housing;

a communication interface disposed at least partially within the housing, and configured to communicatively couple with a mobile computing device;

accessory hardware; and

control logic disposed within the housing and communicatively coupled with the communication interface and the accessory specific hardware, the control logic being configured to;

communicate application communication protocol information to a mobile computing device through the communication interface using a accessory communication protocol;

establish a communication session with an application executing at the mobile computing device through the communication interface, wherein the communication session uses the application communication protocol to communicate between the accessory and the application executing at the mobile computing device;

receive data from the application executing at the mobile computing device using the accessory communication protocol; and

control the operation of the accessory hardware in response to the data received from the application executing at the mobile computing device.

18. The accessory device according to claim 17, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

19. The accessory device according to claim 17, wherein the control logic is further configured to receive hardware data from the accessory hardware, and send the hardware data to the application executing at the mobile computing device using the application communication protocol.

20. The accessory device according to claim 19, wherein the accessory hardware comprises a sensor and the hardware data comprises data collected using the sensor.

21. The accessory device according to claim 19, wherein the accessory hardware comprises a hardware interface with an electrical device and the hardware data comprises data received from the electrical device through the hardware interface.

22. The accessory device according to claim 17, wherein the accessory hardware comprises a hardware interface with an electrical device and the data from the application executing at the mobile computing device comprise data to control the electrical device using the a hardware interface.

23. The accessory device according to claim 17, wherein the accessory hardware comprises a display and the data from the application executing at the mobile computing device comprises displayable information.